Spark
Spark is the first episode of Garo: Makai Senki. It features the debut appearances of the Makai High Priestess, Grace, Reo Fudou and the Man in the Red Mask. Synopsis Five years have passed since the events of first series, Kouga has been promoted to a Knight of the Makai Senate for slaying seven of the Apostle Horrors. His first assignment is to hunt down the Horror Cigarein. After he defeats him, a mysterious figure attacks him and places a Seal of Destruction on his chest, and Zaruba tells him the seal's power will eventually kill him. Story The show opens with a flashback to a conflict (presumably World War II as the soldiers in silhouette are wearing Nazi-like attire). A man is fleeing from the army but is shot multiple times by infantry, he tries to smoke one last cigarette before he dies but he is approached by a commanding officer and is shot in the head. The officer then takes the man's lighter and cigarette and smokes, then goes on a killing spree slaughtering the remaining escapees with his Ruger, all the while lighting a cigarette after each kill. The lighter is then shown becoming tarnished and having carvings etched into it as time rapidly passes until the flashback ends with it perched on a display at a pawn shop somewhere in Japan. A gangster named Anan is casually walking in the shopping district when he comes up to the pawn shop. He takes a liking to the lighter and then casually steals it when no one is looking. Just as he is about to get away, he is surrounded by enforcers. They take him back to their boss Katagiri at a warehouse who speaks to Anan about how he can have a choice how he wants to be killed, his henchmen showing brutally graphic videos on a laptop of other who defied Katagiri. Anan winces at the videos and is frightened. Another one of the enforcers pushes a cart filled with tools to the room, all of them designed to make Anan suffer. Katagiri asks Anan where the money he stole from him is, but Anan says he does not know anything about it, trying to con his way out by saying he can get more money quickly for Katagiri. Katagiri, losing his patience, orders his top man to give Anan "#2", which is to burn him to death with a blow torch as Anan panics and begs for his life. Katagiri watches this while his woman strips topless for him, both taking sick pleasure in watching a man die on his TV. As Anan begs and squirms, he falls sideways in his chair and loses his lighter. The top enforcer picks it up and lights it to get a smoke, causing time to stop for a second and all of the gangsters disappear. A bellowing demonic voice of a Horror asks Anan if he wishes to be saved and have power in exchange for his soul. Anan accepts as evil ki pours into his body, the Horror wakes up in his body and slaughters most of the gangsters. The top enforcer flees to inform his boss, but "Anan" tells Katagiri to pardon him for a second as the enforcer is dragged out into the hallway and brutally killed. Katagiri tires to defend himself with his gun, but the Horror swipes the gun off him and eats one of the bullets. "Anan" then makes a gun gesture with his fingers "shooting" Katagiri and his girl, then casually walks out as the two spontaneously combust with blood splattering everywhere in the room. In a park, Kaoru sits at a bench and then looks at her watch, expecting someone but then decides to leave. Later at the Saezima Estate, Gonza is taking a nap on the patio when Kaoru pinches his nose to wake him up. Gonza apologizes for dozing off and welcomes her back. Kaoru asks where Kouga is and Gonza responds that he is currently at work but should be back later in the day or tomorrow. Kaoru says she is used to waiting for Kouga and they will see each other eventually. Later in the evening, "Anan" is preying on a girl and uses his power to combust his food and inhale the burning ashes. A Makai Preist alerts a Watchdog named Grace to the presence of the Horror, called Cigarein, and where he will appear next. Grace tells the Priest she has personally dispatched a Knight to that location and said Knight will take a position at the Senate for his efforts in sealing seven of the Apostle Horrors. In an alley, a familiar figure in a white coat approaches Cigarein, who offers him a cigarette and his lighter. The light from the flame reveals it is Kouga who discards the cigarette and uses his own lighter to confirm that the man in front of him is a Horror. Cigarein tries to "reason" with Kouga, saying he does not wish to fight with Makai Knights, but sides with them before sucker punching Kouga through a brick wall and fires his gun. He misses and Kouga jumps down and tries to disarm him, but Cigarien hands it to him and claims he is only eating evil humans who created or use such weapons as that gun Kouga tossed aside. Kouga refuses to believe that any human life is worthless, but Cigarein rebuttals that some humans are so vile they are rotten to the core. The two continue to fight and then Kouga draws his sword after knocking Cigarein into a pile of boxes. Cigarein then gets serious about fighting the Golden Knight, throwing projectiles of shrapnel rings at him. Realizing he is losing, Cigarein tries to bargain with Kouga that he will work with him to slay all the other Horrors. Kouga rejects the offer as he hunts all Horrors down. Cigarein flees to the rooftop and then tries to snipe Kouga with a cannon blast, which the Makai Knight dodges. Seeing Cigarein attempting to fire again, Kouga becomes Garo, grabs the projectile and crushes it in his hand. Cigarein tries to blast Garo, but the Golden Knight effortlessly blocks and deflects each volley and slowly comes toward him. Cigarien tries one more time to use his cannon but Garo plugs up the barrel with his hand causing it to explode, damaging the weapon. Cigarein then reconfigures into a flying ball to try and ram Garo, but the Golden Knight uses this tactic against him and cleaves the demon's physical body in half with an aerial horizontal sword slash. A glowing red orb emerges from the exploding fireball, revealed to be Anan's soul, who is upset he is dead as he was finally given power. Garo tells Anan that the minute he let a Horror possess him, his soul was already dead, and snuffs out Anan's poisoned soul with the tip of his Garoken. As Kouga disengages his armor and prepares to head home, he is attacked by the demonic arm of a masked assailant, who brands him with some kind of spell. Kouga prepares to fight him, but the masked man vanishes before he could do anything. Kouga consults Zaruba, who is baffled as well, as he did not sense he was a Horror. Kouga begins feeling intense pain in his chest and sees a symbol burned into the wall where the spell was cast. Kouga returns home and Gonza informs him that Kaoru was there, amused how close the two are becoming. Gonza congratulates Kouga on his promotion to the Senate as Kouga retires to his study. Zaruba says that Kouga picked a troublesome job, but Kouga says it does not change anything before the pain in his chest comes back, even worse than before. Kouga stumbles to a mirror and opens his jacket, revealing the same mark that was on the wall is also on his body. Zaruba is shocked as this is a Seal of Destuction and Kouga may not have long to live. Kouga stares at a portrait of him, Gonza and Kaoru, worried what Karou would think if she found out. Cast *Kouga Saezima - Ryosei Konishi *''to be added'' *Cigarein - Naoto Takenaka Notes *The cigarettes that Cigarein hands to Kouga are "Golden Wolf" brand, a reference to Kouga himself as he is the Golden Wolf Knight, Garo. Errors Home Video Release *Garo Season 2 Vol. 1 featured episodes 1-13 on two discs, with English subtitles by Kraken Releasing. External Links *http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/garo-makaisenki/episodes/episodes01/index.html#116884 References